Paper Crown
by Space Oranges
Summary: Mikan is a runaway princess. She has no desire to be royalty. This story is how she learns to fend for herself, and face her fears. She meets a group of guys that help guide her along the way, and together everyone's lives are altered. AU
1. Chapter 1

**MIKAN**

They always say you should love your family, unconditionally, no matter what. Well that's a stupid notion. Whoever came up with that saying clearly had no idea what it was like to grow up in Mikan Yuikihara's shoes. The shoes of a princess, born out of wedlock, to a palace tutor, and born from the infidelity of the Queen.

Mikan's status as the disgraced princess gave her a little bit of leeway around the palace. Servants and maids sympathized with her, while all others in the court stuck up their noses at her. Although, since her blood was half royal, she had certain obligations presented to her. Which often times led her to precarious situations. Like the current one.

Mikan found herself staring down the palace wall. Her eyes scanned down the wall until they could only see black. The rocks that made up the tower she was on vanished into nothing. She knew what was beyond that nothingness, it was water, the ocean to be precise. The one thing she wasn't sure of was how far down it was until the rocks actually met the restless waves, but she imagined it was far. Her stomach lurched. She was scared.

She climbed up the ledge of the tower and held tightly onto one of the flagpoles that was flying the palace colors: black and crimson. The only appropriate colors that show the true nature of the palace. It's no rumor that the walls are filled with blood, because it's true. The flagpole was cold and slick with moisture from the nearby water. Her knuckles were a pale ghostly white that somehow managed to be illuminated in the overcast sky. The wind whipped her clothes around her body, making them hug her form.

Mikan was not really sure what her next step would be, literally and figuratively. Was she going to jump or was she going to go back to her room and pretend like the last three hours didn't happen? Her mind was not really working. It was a blank space. She tugged at a familiar chain around her neck with her free hand and tightly held onto a ring that was strung around a thin golden chain. It was something that always tied her down, kept her calm, and rational.

She could step forward to a most certain unknown or backwards into the bitter familiar. The unknown would probably last only a few seconds, calculating the fall, the plunge into the water, and the time it took before she failed to struggle to the surface. She hadn't even calculated if there were any rocks down there, she had no idea, but if there were, then it would likely be the last few seconds of her life.

Backwards though, that would lead her back. Back to where she came from, back to the palace. Back to suffocating walls, restricting rules, ruthless guards, watching eyes, disapproving looks, and disgusting royals.

She turned around on the ledge to look back at the door she had emerged from earlier. The one door that would lead her back in. She silently laughed to herself. She was being crazy. The palace was home, regardless of its flaws, and hidden secrets. She had to live there. Her grip loosened on the flagpole and she was ready to walk back in, to return to her bed.

The door flew open with a bang, and the clatter of guards in armor echoed in her ears. Her breath caught in her lungs. A small gasp escaped her lips and her eyes widened. Everything moved slowly. She felt as if she desperately grasped for the flagpole, her fingers missing it twice, and then she looked up. There in front of the guards was the man she had run away from, the man that haunted her in more ways than one. Her wide eyes met his and a small smirk played across his features.

"Princess Mikan!" Delayed more than it should have been, his voice carried down over the ledge as she fell down the side of the palace wall.

Pin pricks. That's what it felt like across Mikan's whole body. All the air she had ever breathed in to her entire body had left when she collided with the water. She floated, stunned before she realized that she could feel her body hurting, and calling out to her. She was still alive. Stupidly, she opened her eyes only to have the salt water sting them. It was dark, only a small flicker of light caught her blurry eyes. She kicked her legs and swung her arms toward the light. She broke the surface, gulping for air, and was tossed around by a wave. She went under and choked on the water that entered her lungs unwillingly. Resurfacing again, she gained her composure. She bobbed with the next wave and stared off into the distance. In front of her she saw the pale lights of the shore. It must have been from the lower town. She didn't bother looking back towards the palace. If she couldn't see down before, there's no way she could see up that high either.

Mikan thanked the heavens that she knew how to swim. Those lessons that once seemed pointless, and that were just used to kill time were finally paying off. She front-crawled it towards the lower shore. With every stroke she felt like she had made no progress. The adrenaline in her body kept her going. Her breathing grew harder with every stroke and she had to stop multiple times to shake the water from her eyes.

The other side of the shore welcomed her with a mouthful of sand. Mikan spit it out in large coughs. She turned over on to her back and stared up at the night sky. For some reason, the stars seemed a little bit brighter on this side of the water. They sparkled like they were actually proud to be above this side of the kingdom. The sand against her back stuck to her like a second skin and her heart thrummed in her chest. She sat up quickly, making herself go dizzy. She looked around to gain her bearings. It looked like she was in the lower ring of the kingdom, so in terms of ground, she had the inner city and its wall, and the lower ring separating her from the palace. Thank the gods. Royalty avoids the lower ring at all costs.

She stood shaking the sand carelessly from her body. Quickly, she started to make her way to the edge of the houses that lined the shore. They were all tiny and misshapen, but it gave them character. They all had very little lights on, but still she searched for the darkest one out of the bunch. Finally satisfied with her find, she quickly made her way over to the building.

Upon closer inspection, it looked like a shed of some sort. The door creaked open to reveal a pile of hay and a random assortment of tools. It would have to do for the night. She stripped off her soaked clothes and stood in her underwear. She would have to find new clothes and fast. Her garments might seem basic, but they were still probably higher quality than the lower ring could afford. A dirty tarp in the corner caught her attention, grimacing at its state, she reluctantly spread it over the hay and fashioned herself a bed.

The night did not bode well from Mikan. She lay on her makeshift bed, and twitched at every little creak and whimper that her shed made. She awoke early in the morning, having only gotten a few hours sleep, at best. The cool morning air had chilled her to her bones. Her clothes lay in a cold, wet heap on the floor. She had to find something new to wear.

She glanced from her wet clothes to the tarp she used as a bed. Her options were limited, wear the wet clothes, or fashion the tarp into something. She opted for the wet clothes thinking they would stand out less than the tarp. Her first goal for the day was to find something new to wear anyway.

Stifling the groans from her empty stomach, she cautiously made her way out of her shed. The sun was just barely peaking over the horizon. Good. The early hour would provide some time for her to find new clothes. She wandered around the street of houses that was nearby. They all looked like they were falling apart, held together with the smallest of bindings.

She walked for some time, trying to get her bearings. There seemed no logical order to the layout of the lower ring. There were dinky houses everywhere. They all looked different, and there were no signs anywhere. She laughed to herself. It's not like she had a destination anyway.

The sun was just leaving passing the horizon when she finally came across a bit of luck. In the distance, she saw it. A clothes line. On it hung what looked like a woman's nightdress, little girl's clothes, and a pair of boy's slacks. She pulled the slacks, and dress off the line.

She ran into an alley and checked to make sure no one was around. There, she quickly pulled on the slacks, they bunched a little at her ankles. She tore the nightdress with her teeth to make a new shirt. It was sheer and not ideal, but it would have to do. She tucked the makeshift shirt into her new slacks.

She would have to find a jacket, and new shoes to complete the look. Possibly a hat too, if she was dressing like a boy she should complete the whole ensemble.

The morning dragged on, and Mikan watched as the inhabitants of the lower ring began their day with haste. They flocked to the streets. Most carried items, she imagined they sold somewhere. She started to follow an older lady, who left her house carrying a basket of flowers. Mikan hoped she was going somewhere to sell them. The lady turned the corner, and Mikan gasped.

They had turned down what appeared to be a market street. The street was packed with people hustling about, and selling merchandise. Food, clothes, flowers, utensils, knickknacks. Everything. It had a chaotic feeling to it, but it flowed as well.

"Fresh bread!" yelled a little boy, no more than 7 years old.

Mikan stared at him in awe. The boy caught her glance, and shuffled away. Mikan's stomach groaned in protest. She had nothing to bargain with. Her shoes were damaged from the water, and the only thing of value she had was the ring around her neck, but she would never part with it.

She would have to get crafty. So she did. She managed to steal a pair of boots from a little girl selling used clothing, she got a hat from a stand in the corner, and a jacket hanging from a hook in a pub. She tucked her hair under her hat, and she truly felt disguised as a boy.

* * *

.

.

Hi all. I'm back with my second fic! Please read and review. Let me know what you think. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

**YUKA**

"Where is she?" The Queen was furious. She paced back and forth in her throne room and stared at her guards. "Find her."

They each bowed. "Yes, your highness."

She dismissed them with a wave of her hand, and walked over to her ornately decorated throne and sat down on the crimson cushion. Her eyes narrowed and she ran her hand through her brunette hair.

"Queen Yuka," a vice interrupted her frustration.

Her chin jerked up, and her mouth curled in disgust. Kounji. The rat. "I suppose I have you to blame for this?"

"I only followed your orders," the man said, challenging her gaze. "I was looking for the young Princess to invite her to dinner," he paused, "but when I found her, she was leaping from the tower."

The Queen tapped her fingers against her throne. This was a mess. Her estranged daughter leaping from the palace walls. What would the people think? What would they say? The servants would talk. Rumors would spread. She would appear weak. Her grip on her people was already frail. However, was she to believe Kuonji? He always seemed to have ulterior motives.

"Persona!" she spat.

A slender man appeared from the shadows and placed himself in front of the Queen. "Yes, my Queen?"

"Clean up this mess," Queen Yuka ordered.

"As you wish."

Kounji stepped forward. "Forgive me, my Queen. If I may."

Queen Yuka held up a hand to halt her guard, and beckoned for Kounji to get on with it.

"Perhaps, we can use this," he paused, searching for the right word, "incident, to our advantage."

The Queen sat up straighter in her throne. He had gotten her attention. "Go on."

"Your illegitimate daughter," his lips curled at the truth that the Queen hated. "We can use her death as a way to unite the people."

Yuka's thoughts travelled quickly. His idea had lit a spark. "Continue," she said.

"We write up a piece, and publish it in the Alice paper. We have a mourning ceremony, and the city will come together and see a gentler side to their Queen."

As much as she despised Kounji, it was a good idea. The people would rally behind her, mourn with her, and she would use this as a pedestal to grow stronger.

"Get it done," Yuka ordered.


	3. Chapter 3

**MIKAN**

She had no idea how to get food.

Clothing had taken her to whole day, and half the afternoon to find. But she was running on empty, she had to find something soon, or she would pass out. So she searched for opportune moments to steal, and that's how she lived for four days.

On the fifth day, she ran into trouble. She was mid theft when someone caught her.

"Hey boy!" someone called from behind her.

She jumped, dropping the apple she had snatched. She turned to see a pair of what appeared to be guards walking towards her. "We saw that," the other guard said.

Mikan gulped, and ran. They didn't look like palace guards, but she still recognized when to run.

She wasn't careful anymore, instead she ran, crashing into anyone and anything in her way. She started to panic. It couldn't end here. She could hear them, hot on her tail, calling after her. She turned down alley after alley, trying to shake them, to no avail. Her pulse echoed in her ears, and her eyes frantically searched for an escape route.

"Please," she whispered. She rounded a corner and was surprised to see it empty, save for a random guy loitering around the entrance to a pub. His eyes fixed on hers as she neared him. She stumbled a little when she got closer to him. He was smiling now, and it creeped her out. Before she knew it, he had grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into the door of the pub.

"You know," the guy said, "when it comes to running from those lowlifes, it's easiest to run into a pub."

She stared up at him, slightly confused and trying to catch her breath.

"What'd you steal?" he asked.

Mikan glared at him. "What? Nothing," she said, quickly. Her voice came out hoarse.

"Ha, yeah, and I'm the King," he replied.

Mikan stared at her savior, unsure of his intentions. His dirty blond hair was messy and tangled, and he still had that stupid smile on his face.

"Koko!" Someone called out to the boy, and he looked up.

"Hey man," he said.

"What're you doing?" the new guy asked.

Mikan watched as three more boys walked over to them. They were all taller than her, and kept staring at her.

Koko punched her in the arm. "Just educating this boy on how to run from the guards."

The one with glasses turned to her. "Oh dear. A run in already? You must be new in town?"

"N-no," Mikan said quickly.

"Are you sure about that?" Koko asked.

Mikan glared at him, and refused to answer. She watched as Koko glanced at his companions.

"I think we should take a walk," Glasses said.

Koko shoved Mikan out the door, before she could protest. They led her to an alley, cornering her.

"What should we do with him Yuu?" Koko asked Glasses. "Rough him up a bit?"

Mikan watched as Yuu pondered for a moment, before his train of thought was interrupted.

Someone new spoke, catching Mikan's attention. "What's your name, girl?"

Her eyes flashed up to his. They were an unusual red color. Something she had never seen. They terrified her.

"Wait," the last boy said, "girl?"

"Ruka," Red eyes said. "Take off her hat."

Mikan felt her whole body tremble, as she stared at this guy. She was terrified, but compelled to listen to him. Before the boy Ruka approached her, she removed the hat herself, letting her hair fall across her shoulders. It felt good. It had been tucked away all day.

"You're the first one to notice," Mikan said, glaring at the boy, trying to regain control of the situation. She crossed her arms around her chest, feeling exposed, for some reason.

Koko started to laugh. "I shouldn't be surprised," he said. "Nothing gets by Natsume."

Natsume. That was the last boy's name. The one with the red eyes. Mikan stared at him. He clearly appeared to be the one in charge. He had an air of authority to him. Mikan sneered. "I'm thrilled to be in his presence," she said.

"Your name," Natsume repeated.

Mikan gulped. There was no way she was going to give them her real name. She racked her brain for a fake one. "S-Sakura, she finally said, borrowing the name of her favorite cooks in the palace.

"And I'm still the King," Koko said.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Mikan asked, annoyed. "The King is on his deathbed."

"Forgive him," Yuu started, "that's what he says when someone lies."

Lies. Mikan chuckled to herself. If only they knew. Her whole life seemed like a lie.

"Where are you from?" Natsume asked.

This one was easy, and it wasn't really a lie. "The inner city."

Koko busted out laughing. "What's an inner city girl doing in the lower ring?"

Mikan thought to herself. Should she tell them? That she fell from a tower in the palace because she was contemplating the life she had? "The inner city," she paused, "is not as glamourous a life, as you'd think it is." It was probably a stupid thing to say. She as talking to lower ring boys here. They most likely never had any sort of luxury in their lives.

Natsume raised his eyebrows, and the other three laughed.

"Let's go," Natsume said, turning to leave.

"It was nice knowing you, kid," Koko said following.

Mikan watched as they all turned to follow Natsume. Her heart was beating fast. She thought she was a goner. They were turning the corner when it dawned on her.

"Wait!" she called after them, then running to close the distance.

They all turned to her. No one spoke.

Mikan stood up straight, trying to gain courage and authority from her posture. "Do you all live around here?" She watched as they shared glances. "Could I trouble you for a place to sleep?"

"No," Natsume said immediately.

Mikan cursed. For a brief moment, she actually missed the palace.

"Wait," Yuu said, "Hold on. We can at least give her some food."

She was so overcome with relief and joy that she embraced Yuu in a hug. He blushed at her embrace, but Mikan was oblivious to it.

Mikan followed them in silence to their destination. It was probably about a ten minute walk to their starting location. She had given up trying to remember her whereabouts. They stopped in front of a shabby wooden house, with a front porch. There were no lights on inside and the streets had no lighting themselves.

"Home, sweet home," Koko said.

It looked like it would fall apart if you touched it. Mikan watched as Yuu unlocked the door with a rusty looking key.

When Yuu opened the door, Mikan had struggled to hide her surprise. She was shocked. The place was basically a shell. A basic kitchen, with a long table for eating, a single couch pushed against the wall, and a coffee table. It looked like a hallway led to three other rooms, but otherwise, she wasn't sure if people actually lived there or not. Her doubts were erased when she watched the guys settle in. Yuu and Koko started rummaging in the kitchen, Ruka got a newspaper from somewhere and sat down to read it, and Natsume… Mikan peeked at him, only to find him staring at her.

She inched closer to the kitchen. "You all live here?" It was a stupid question, but she wanted confirmation.

Koko swung a bag of bread around. "Hey this is actually pretty good for a lower ring house."

"Yeah," Yuu agreed. "It's not much, compared to the inner ring, as you can see, but it's home."

"Yeah! We worked hard for this," Yuu said.

Mikan glanced at their faces. This is how the lower ring lives? They never mentioned how lifeless it was in the palace. Mikan racked her brain for words. "What exactly is it you guys do?"

Koko handed her a lumpy looking sandwich. "This and that."

Yuu sighed, "We get by, by doing odd jobs and favors for people. Doesn't really matter what. We scratch their back, they scratch ours."

Mikan smiled. "That's amazing."

"Amazing?" Natsume asked, roughly, making the hair on Mikan's body stand up.

"Uh."

"That's the only way to survive in this city," he spat. "Go home. To your fancy inner city life. This is no place for a child."

Mikan rolled her eyes, and spun around to face him. "I'm not a child!" she yelled, marching up to him. Scary aura be damned. She wanted to knock this guy off his pedestal. "That place is not my home. It never was."

"You won't survive a day out here."

Mikan put her hands on her hips. "I've survived five." She turned around to face the other three, and tried to soften her face. "Let me stay with you, please. I can help out. Go on jobs with you."

They all shared glances, and Mikan asked once more. "Please."

"No way in Hell," Natsume said.

Mikan balled her hands into fists. "Come on! Why not?"

"Sakura," Yuu started. "We don't have any extra space. We already sleep two to a room."

Mikan pointed to the couch. "I'm tiny. I can sleep on that."

Yuu stumbled over his words and glanced to Natsume. Mikan understood, and she turned to face him once more. "You're obviously in charge here."

"I said no," he said, his eye fierce.

"Why not? Is it because I'm a girl? Because I'm weak? Well I'm not." She's not sure where her courage came from, but this guy brought it out of her. "I'll take you on right now. If I win, I stay, if you win, then I'll leave." Mikan took a step back. He was smirking! The jerk was smirking.

"You want to fight me?" Natsume asked.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth.

Koko popped up next to her, and put his arm on her shoulder. "It was nice knowing you, Sakura."

She glanced his way, confused. "What?"

"If you can land a punch on me, you win."

"And your conditions?" She regretted asking.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "You won't win."

Mikan felt her eye twitch. "You know what? I really hate your stupid attitude!"

"Are you guys sure about this?" Yuu asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes!" Mikan yelled, as she lunged for Natsume. He side stepped her easily, and she ran into the wall. She growled a little, and pushed herself off. Next she tried a punch, but he dodged, and then he dodged a lunge to his stomach.

Frustration racked her whole body. "You're only dodging!" As she threw her next punch, he caught it effortlessly in his own hand. Her eyes widened, and she gulped. He wrapped her hand behind her back, and grabbed the other, the force knocked her to her knees. That was unhuman, she had barely seen him move.

"Go figure," Natsume said. "Inner city girls can't fight."

"I'm not done yet." She yanked herself free from his grip. It was looser than she thought it would be. Mikan striped off her jacket, she felt like it was slowing her down. She needed a new approach. Glancing around, her eyes stopped on the paper Ruka had been reading. "Sorry, let me borrow this." She crumbled it up and launched it at him, aiming to distract him.

All it really did was piss him off more. "I didn't read that yet."

Mikan shrugged. "Life's not fair is it?" She aimed one more punch at him, only to have him catch it again.

He was getting bored, she could tell. Except something changed. He just stood there. Mikan stared up at him, and followed his gaze. He was looking at her chest! She yanked free and shoved him hard. He stumbled backwards and his eyes were glassing over.

"Natsume!" Ruka yelled, running to his friend.

"Wait," Mikan squeeled. "I did it! I won!"

Yuu and Koko watched, amazed. She had actually shoved him.

She reached for the chain around her neck and squeezed the ring tightly.

Natsume had regained his composure and was staring at her murderously. Mikan was also mocking him, and rubbing her victory in his face. "Are you going to take back your word?"

Ruka stood. "Natsume never backs down. You won, so you can stay."

The adrenaline in Mikan's body was overwhelming. She was so giddy and felt on top of the world. Natsume scoffed at her, and without another word he disappeared into one of the rooms, Ruka trailed after him.

"I can't believe you actually won." Koko clapped Mikan on the back. "I don't know why you really want to live here, but welcome." Then he too went to the room opposite of Natsume and Ruka's.

"I'll grab you a blanket." Yuu smiled gently at Mikan, and she nodded back, suddenly feeling exhausted herself.

"Thank you."

The couch was lumpy, hard at spots, and honestly way better than the shack she had slept in. She lay awake thinking about what had all happened. The four guys she met. Their odd way of living, and how she practically forced her way into their lives. She would pay them back with every bit of power she could. For now though, she needed to sleep.


End file.
